Building panel

ABSTRACT

An insulated, one-side finished, building panel light enough to be handled by no more than two people during installation. The panel has an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer. The finish layer comprises a stucco-like material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base. The panel has outer and inner surfaces and top and bottom edges, with the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer. The top and bottom sides of the finish layer form part of the top and bottom edges of the panel. The siding panel is provided with interlocking means for securely interlocking the top and bottom edges of adjacent siding panels together. The outer surface of the panel has finished groove forming sections at both the top and bottom edges. The groove forming sections of adjacent panels form a finished groove with the joint between the panels in the groove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is directed toward an insulated building panel.

2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under CFR §§ 1.97-1.99

It is presently known to construct buildings, particularly homes, by first building the house frame, optionally covering the frame with sheeting material, covering the outside of the frame, or the sheeting material, with sheets of rigid insulation, and then applying a finish layer over the insulation sheets. The finish layer can be bricks, stone, stucco, siding made from different materials, or other known materials. An example of this construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,915. The finish layer is applied at the building site. The application of the finish layer, on-site, is however time consuming, and thus expensive, and also dependent on the weather.

To construct the buildings in the above manner more quickly and efficiently, it is known to provide large, prefabricated, building panels which are constructed off-site and shipped to the construction site for installation. These building panels usually comprise a base of rigid, or self supporting, insulation material and an outer finish layer on at least one side of the insulation base and integral therewith. The panels are applied directly to the frame of the house with the insulation base adjacent the frame and the finish layer facing outside. The known large panels can take many forms. Many have support framing incorporated directly into the panels. Examples of the large panels are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,774,794; 5,540,020 and 5,555,698 by way of example. Most of these large building panels have a stucco or stucco-like finish layer. Once the panels are installed on the house frame, a final finish coating must usually be applied to the outside of the panels. The final finish coating is applied to at least cover the joints between adjacent panels to make the structure jointless in appearance and to make it watertight. However, this still entails on-site stucco or stucco-like application. Also, these large buildings panels cannot be easily handled by a single person, or even two people, and usually require heavy equipment for handling and installing them at the building site.

It is also known to use large building panels without support framing and with a finish coat applied off-site on at least the outer side of the insulating support base. An example of such a panel is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,794. The panel allows a house to be easily finished by installing the panels with the finish coat facing out on the house framing. No final finish coat is required. However adhesive is used to join adjacent panels together thus requiring a further building step. The panels also have the disadvantage that the joints between the panels are flush with the outer surface of the panels and thus usually highly visible which detracts from the appearance of the building.

It is known to use smaller prefabricated building panels, in the form of siding panels, which have a rigid, or self-supporting, insulation base covered on at least one side by a finish layer. By siding panels it is meant building panels that are usually not too wide and small enough to be easily handled manually by one or two workers. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,350,827; 4,299,069 and 5,987,835. These siding panels can be constructed off-site and then shipped to the construction site where they can easily be handled and applied by only one or two workers without the aid of machinery. These known siding panels still however require a finish coating application on-site to conceal the joints between the panels. In Pat. '835, the joints are sealed with a finish coating in a manner to provide a smooth, finished, outer surface on the building. In Pat. '069, the joints, located between outer finishing building elements in the form of brick facings, are sealed with an application of grouting between adjacent rows or courses of the brick facings. In Pat. '827, the joints, located between outer finishing building elements in the form of imitation stone facings, are also sealed with grouting.

There are, to applicant's knowledge, no building panels that have an insulating base, with a finish layer on the base providing a finished outer surface to the panel, that can be installed on-site in interconnecting fashion with no further on-site, outer surface finishing required while still providing a pleasing appearance not detracted by the joints between the panels.

If the building panels are wider than about one and a half feet, it is desirable to fasten the panels intermediate their top and bottom edges, and at spaced locations between their side edges, to the building frame to ensure adequate fastening of the panel to the frame. This can be difficult to do with panels having finished surfaces on-site without having to refinish the surfaces on-site.

Many of the building panels are fastened directly against the frame of the building and if any water gets behind the panels problems may arise. To avoid water problems, the panels are often fastened on firring strips mounted on the building frame. However this again results in additional on-site work in mounting the firring strips to mount the siding panels.

Many of the building panels have interconnecting means on the top and bottom of the panels for use in connecting the panels together. The interconnecting means are often tongue and groove elements. These elements, made from the insulation material are however fragile and easily broken. The tongue and groove elements are also difficult to align and interconnect. Fasteners driven through the tongue and groove connecting means often break them resulting in poor connection of the panel to the frame. The fasteners must often be driven at an angle through the insulation layer from above so as not to ruin the finish layer and this can be difficult to do particularly without damaging the connecting means and without leaving the head of the fastener exposed where it interferes with the connection between the panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an insulated, one-side finished, building panel that is light enough that it can be easily applied to a small building by only one or two people without requiring the use of handling machinery or equipment. It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an insulated, one-side finished, building panel that, when mounted on the building with other panels, presents a pleasing appearance with no further on-site work, other than handling, fitting and fastening the panels, needed to complete the installation. It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide an insulated, one-side finished, building panel that lends itself to construction off-site and easy assembly on-site. It is a still another purpose of the present invention to have the panels provide grooves between panels when the panels are assembled, the joint between the panels located in the grooves. It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a one-side finished building panel having means on the back of the panel for directing water away from the panel when installed on a building. It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a one-side finished building panel with removable sub-panels on the panel allowing the panel to be connected to the building at the sub-panel locations without noticeably defacing the finished surface on the panel. It is yet another purpose of the present invention to provide interconnecting means on the panels which allow easy mounting of the panels on the building frame.

The building panel of the present invention has a base of rigid insulation material. The base is relatively thick and can have a shape ranging from a long plank to a square. An outer finish layer of finish material such as stucco or stucco-like material is adhered on one wide surface of the base, the finish layer being relatively thin compared to the thickness of the base. The finish layer provides the finished appearance of the panel. The finish layer can be a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of different materials. The finish layer can be smooth, roughened, provided with a pattern, formed as imitation brick or stone and colored as desired.

The building panel has outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the top and bottom sides of the finish layer forming part of the top and bottom edges without covering them. The outer surface of the panel, extending between the top and bottom edges, is formed by the outer surface of the finish layer. Cooperating interconnecting means are provided on at least the top and bottom of the panel, the interconnecting means integral with the base of the panel. The corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges are shaped into groove forming sections. The groove forming sections are designed to form a groove when adjacent panels are interconnected. When the adjacent panels are interconnected, their top and bottom edges, including the top and bottom sides of the finish layer, abut to form a joint in the groove.

The groove formed during installation of adjacent panels visually separates adjacent panels to provide a pleasing appearance to buildings. The joint between the adjacent panels, located within the groove, is not readily noticeable. When the grooves are formed between panels having imitation brick surfaces, the grooves are located between adjacent rows of bricks and would be made to be similar in appearance to the grooves formed between other rows of brick in each panel. Once the panels are installed, no further finishing is required. With the interconnecting means between the panels made of the same foam insulation material as the base, the interconnecting means between adjacent panels can be slightly compressed when joining the panels together. This ensures that the top and bottom sides of the finish layers on the adjacent panels will tightly abut thus minimizing the size of the joint, and thus minimizing its appearance, between the panels.

Wider panels can be provided with cutouts intermediate their top and bottom edges off site. The cutouts are large enough to allow a fastener to join the panel to the building frame through the cutout, the fastener passing through the base adjacent the cutout. The cutouts are formed by cutting a sub-panel out of the panel off-site. The sub-panel is replaced in the cutout and adhered therein after the fastener has been applied on-site. The cutout is normally formed in the groove surrounding a single brick or a small stone in a panel having imitation bricks or stones, so that when the sub-panel is replaced, the joint between the sub-panel and panel is in the groove and not too visible.

The building panels can be provided with water removing channel forming means on the back surface of the base for directing water away from the panel. The channel forming means can be provided along the top back edge of the base, one channel forming means extending in each direction from the approximate center of the panel to the side edge to be used to help direct water from the top of the panel to both its sides. These horizontal channel forming means can join vertical channel forming means in the back sides of the base which are used to help direct water down away from the panel. The water removing channels can be provided in any siding panels having an insulating base. When the panel is installed on a wall, the water removing channel forming means cooperate with the wall to form water removing channels.

The building panels can be provided with interconnecting means making it easier to install the panels while minimizing damage to the panels. Each panel has top interconnecting means including a fastening flange at the top back of the panel, the flange extending up from the rest of the panel and positioned flush against the frame when the panel is installed. Fasteners can be easily driven through the flange without damaging it or the panel to secure the top of the panel. A downwardly extending connecting slot is provided adjacent the flange and below the top of the flange at the top of the panel. The top of the slot, opposite the flange is joined to the front of the panel with an outwardly and downwardly angled surface. A groove forming section is provided at the corner between the angled surface and the front of the panel. The slot narrows down toward its bottom when viewed in cross-section.

Each panel also has bottom interconnecting means cooperating with the top interconnecting means on an adjacent panel. The bottom interconnecting means has a recess on the panel at its back bottom corner, the recess sized to receive the flange on the top interconnecting means of an adjacent panel. The bottom of the panel adjacent the recess is formed with a rib adjacent the recess to fit snugly in the slot on an adjacent panel. The side of the rib opposite the recess is connected to the front of the panel with an outwardly and downwardly angled bottom surface. A groove forming section is provide at the corner between the angled section and the front panel.

The slot in the interconnecting means has a relatively wide mouth which allows the relatively narrow front end of the rib to easily enter the slot and then be guided down by the converging sides of the slot to easily fit the rib within the slot and to properly position the two panels together in an aligned manner. The arrangement allows faster installation of the panels.

The invention is particularly directed toward an insulated, one-side finished, building panel light enough to be manually handled by no more than two people during installation. The panel has an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer. The finish layer comprises a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base. The panel has outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the top and bottom sides of the finish layer forming part of the top and bottom edges. The outer surface of the panel, extending between the top and bottom edges, is formed by the outer surface of the finish layer. Cooperating interconnecting means are provided on the top and bottom of the panel, the interconnecting means integral with the base. The corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges are shaped into groove forming sections. The groove forming sections are designed to form a groove when adjacent panels are interconnected with their top and bottom edges abutting. The joint between the panels is located in the groove.

The invention is also directed toward an insulated, one-side finished, relatively wide building panel light enough to be manually handled by no more than two people during installation. The panel has an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer. The finish layer comprises a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base. The panel has outer and inner surfaces joined by top, bottom and side edges, with the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel. The outer surface of the panel is formed to provide imitation building elements with grooves between the elements. At least one removable sub-panel is formed in the panel intermediate its top and bottom edges and its side edges to provide access through the panel. The sub-panel is formed by a cut in a groove surrounding at least one imitation building element, the sub-panel removable to provide a cutout in the panel used in fastening the panel to the frame of a building. A fastener is insertable through the panel in the cutout to fasten the panel to a building frame. The sub-panel is replaceable and adhered within the cutout after the fastener is applied,

The invention is further directed toward an insulated, one-side finished, building panel, the panel having an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer. The finish layer comprises a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base. The panel has outer and inner surfaces and top and bottom edges, with the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel. Water collecting and directing channel forming means are provided on the top, back corner of the panel, the channel forming means extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top sides. Water collecting and directing channel forming means are also formed on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top sides of the panel to the bottom of the panel.

The invention is further particularly directed toward an insulated, one-side finished, building panel, the panel having an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer. The finish layer comprises a finish material. The finish layer is securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base. The panel has outer and inner surfaces, the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel. There are top and bottom interconnecting means on the top and bottom of the panel. The top interconnecting means has an upwardly directed top flange with one side of the flange formed by the inner surface of the panel, the other side of the flange extending downwardly. There is a slot adjacent the other side of the flange below the top of the flange and extending downwardly, narrowing toward its bottom. The other side of the slot is connected by an angled top surface that extends downwardly and outwardly from the slot to the front surface of the panel. A groove forming section is provided at the corner between the angled top surface and the front surface of the panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of a building panel in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the building panel taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the base of the building panel;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the base taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are detailed cross-section views of two building panels separated and then interlocked and forming a groove;

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of the finish layer on the building panel;

FIG. 7 is a detail of an imitation brick building panel with a sub-panel;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the panel detail shown in FIG. 7 showing the sub-panel removed;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a building panel showing water collecting channel forming means on the back of the panel;

FIG. 10 is a detail cross-section view of the panel of FIG. 9 installed on a wall;

FIG. 11 is a detail cross-section view of two building panels, with other interconnecting means, about to be connected;

FIG. 12 is a cross-section view showing the two panels from FIG. 11 interconnected; and

FIG. 13 is a detail top, front view of one of the panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The building panel 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, has an inner base 3 of insulation material and an outer layer 5 of finish material. The outer layer 5 provides the finished outer surface on the panel. The material of the inner base is preferably slightly compressible and the material of the finish layer is generally incompressible when compared to the base material.

The inner base 3, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is preferably made of plastic foam or bead material such as a polystyrene or polyurethane expanded foam material and has parallel inner and outer surfaces 7, 9. The inner base 3 also has top and bottom edges 11, 13. By ‘inner’ and ‘outer surfaces’ it is meant the surfaces of the base that face, and face away from, respectively, the building that the panel is to be installed on. By ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ it is meant the top and bottom of the panel when it is in the position it is installed on the building. The base 3 is relatively rigid, normally rigid enough to be self supporting.

The top and bottom edges 11, 13 are preferably parallel. Both the top and bottom edges 11, 13 extend upwardly and inwardly from the outer surface 9 toward the inner surface 7. The edges 11, 13 could also extend transversely to the inner and outer surfaces 7 and 9, again preferably being parallel.

The base 3 has top and bottom interconnecting means 15, 17, respectively. The top interconnecting means 15 has a top flange 19 extending up from the inner side of the top edge 11. The flange 19 has an inner wall 21, formed by an extension of the inner surface 7, an outer wall 23 preferably parallel to the inner surface 7, and a top wall 25 that extends upwardly and outwardly from the inner wall 21 and joins the inner and outer walls 21, 23. The top flange 19 is about half the thickness of the base 3. A top recess 27 is formed adjacent the flange 19, the recess 27 defined by the outer side of the top edge 11 and the outer wall 23 of the flange 19. The top recess 27 forms part of the top interconnecting means 15.

The bottom interconnecting means 17 has a bottom recess 28 formed on its bottom, inner corner, the recess 28 defined by an upwardly angled bottom wall 29 extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom of the inner surface 7 toward the outer surface 9 and a vertical wall 31 joining the bottom wall 29 with the bottom edge 13, the vertical wall 31 preferably being parallel to the outer surface 9. The bottom recess 27 is as wide as the top flange 19 and its formation leaves a bottom flange member 33 defined by the vertical wall 31, the bottom edge 13 and the bottom portion 34 of the outer surface 9. The bottom flange member 33 as wide as the top recess 27 and forms part of the bottom interconnecting means 17.

The top and bottom portions of the outer surface 9, are scalloped or dished inwardly to provide top and bottom concave groove sections 35, 37 on the outer surface 9. The groove sections 35, 37 join the outer surface 9 with the top edge 11 and the bottom edge 13 respectively. While the groove sections 35, 37 have been described as scalloped or dished surfaces they could also be formed by angled or stepped surfaces.

The inner base 3 also has side edges 39, 41 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Side edge 39 extends from the inner surface 7 toward the outer surface 9 and side edge 41 extends from the outer surface 9 toward the inner surface 7. The side edges 39, 41 are preferably angled with respect to the inner and outer surfaces 7 and 9 and are parallel but they could also be transverse to the inner and outer surfaces 7, 9. The ends of outer surface 9 are also scalloped or dished slightly inwardly to provide side concave groove sections 43, 45. Again, the groove sections 43, 45 could instead be formed by angled or stepped surfaces if desired.

The side edges 39, 41 of the base 3 also have side interconnecting means 47, 49 similar to the top and bottom interconnecting means 15, 17. One side interconnecting means 47 can have a recess 50 on its outer, left hand side corner and a flange member 51 on its inner, left hand side corner with one side of the flange member defining one side of the recess 50. The other side interconnecting means 49 can have a recess 53 on its inner, right hand side corner and a flange member 54 on its outer right hand side corner with one side of the flange member 54 defining one side of the recess 53. The recess 50 on the one interconnecting means 47 is sized to receive the flange member 54 on an adjacent panel while the recess 53 on the other interconnecting means is sized to receive the flange member 51 on another adjacent panel.

The above base 3 is made off-site. The outer layer 5 is added to the base 3 off-site as well to complete the panel 1. The outer layer is made of finish material, the material being one which leaves a finished surface on the panel. The finish material preferably is a stucco or stucco-like material. It could be added at the same location that the base is made, or at a different location. The outer layer 5 is applied onto, and adhered to, the outer surface 9 of the base 3 including the groove sections 35, 37 at the top and bottom of the base as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the groove sections 43, 45 adjacent the side edges 39, 41. The outer layer 5 provides the outer finished surface 55 of the panel 1 including the finished curved groove sections 56, 57 over the groove sections 35, 37 adjacent the top and bottom of the panel and the finished groove sections 63, 65 over the groove sections 43, 45 at the sides of the panel. The finished curved groove sections 56, 57 of the layer 5 are concentric with the curved groove sections 35, 37 of the base. The top side 71 of the finish layer 5 is aligned with the top edge 11 of the base 3 to form the top edge 72 of the panel. The bottom side 73 of the layer 5 is aligned with the bottom edge 13 of the base to form the bottom edge 74 of the panel. Similarly, the finished curved groove sections 63, 65 on the side edges are concentric with the curved groove sections 43, 45. The side edge 75 of the layer 5 on surface 9 is aligned with the end 76 of the recess 50 of the base 3. The other side edge 77 of the layer 5 on surface 9 is aligned with side edge 41 of the base.

The panels are mounted manually by one or two workers on the frame of a building one at a time. With a first panel 1 a already mounted on the building frame 79, via a fastener 80 through its top portion, a second panel 1 b is interconnected thereto on top by sliding it down, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B to have flange 19 a on the top of the bottom installed panel 1 a enter the recess 28 b on the bottom of the top panel 1 b. The downwardly and inwardly sloping top wall 25 a on the panel 1 a mates with the downwardly and inwardly sloping bottom wall 29 b of the recess 28 b on the top panel 1 b to hold the top panel flush against the wall 79 and this causes the bottom flange 33 b on the top panel 1 b to snugly fit in the top recess 27 a on the bottom panel 1 a.

When the two panels 1 a, 1 b are fully interconnected along a joint 81 by the tongue and recess connection, the bottom 74 b of the panel 1 b will abut the top 72 a of the bottom panel 1 a and the finished curved groove sections 56 a, 57 b together would form a curved surface which defines a groove 83 between the interconnected panels at their joint 81. If the curved groove sections 56 a, 57 b are part-circular, they together form a semi-circular groove 83. The two interconnected panels are pushed tightly together to have the bottom edge 13 b of the base 3 b in top panel 1 b abut and even slightly compress the top edge 11 a of the base 3 a in the bottom panel 1 a as shown in FIG. 5B. This causes the edges 71 a, 73 b of the finish layers 5 a, 5 b to tightly abut. The finish layers 5 a, 5 b are harder than the bases 3 a, 3 b allowing the bases 3 a, 3 b to slightly compress if needed while tightly abutting the edges 71 a, 73 b of the finish layers. The top panel in this position is fastened to the frame of the building with fasteners (not shown) driven in through the top flange of the base 3 b. Thus the joint 81 in the groove 83 is tight and hardly visible. Cement can be applied to the end edges including the ends of the finish layer when assembling the panels if desired but it is not essential. The sides of adjacent panels assemble in a similar manner.

The panels are assembled one on top of one another, against the building frame, as above, to cover the sides of the building. The panels can be cut on-site to fit trim members around windows and doors and at the corners of the building. Once the panels have been installed no further finishing is required. The grooves are left as installed to provide a distinctive appearance to the building. The joints between the panels, located in the grooves, are unobtrusive. The close fit between the ends of the finish layers, and the end edges of the bases, at the joint, and the upwardly extending tongue on the top of the panels, make the joints watertight.

The finish layer 5 is relatively thin compared to the thickness of the base 3, as shown in FIG. 1, and is hard, dense and water impervious. The finish layer 5 could be about one eighth inch thick while the base could be about one inch thick by way of example. While the preferred finish layer is stucco or stucco-like material, on small panels, the finish layer 5 can be a single layer of plastic material such as acrylic. For this application, the term ‘stucco-like’ includes a single layer of plastic material. Preferably however, the plastic material is mixed with a cement material to form a stucco-like single finish layer. Fiberglass strands can be mixed with the plastic material to strengthen the layer. For larger panels, the finish layer 5 can comprise a first layer 85 of either cementious material alone or cementious material mixed with plastic applied onto the outer surface 9 of the base 3 as shown in FIG. 6. In this figure, the base is shown schematically without the interconnecting means and groove forming sections. This first layer 85 can be covered with a reinforcing mesh layer 87, preferably made of fiberglass. A second layer 89, of material similar or the same as the first layer 85, is then applied over the mesh layer 87 and onto the first layer 85. A coating layer 91 can be applied over the second layer 89. The coating layer 91 can be a plastic, imitation stucco-like material and provides the finished outer surface 53 of the siding panel. While one construction of the outer layer 5 has been described, other constructions could be used as well. For example, the second layer 89 could be omitted with the coating layer 91 applied directly to the first layer 85 and covering the mesh layer 87.

The building panels of this invention could be in the form of siding panels which are long and not very wide, the siding panels imitating known, relatively narrow, metal, plastic or fiberboard siding panels that interlock at horizontal joints. The building panels could also be small rectangular panels imitating individual stone panels. The outer finish layer could be modified to give the siding panel a different appearance such as a brick appearance. To modify the finish layer to provide a brick appearance, the width of the siding panel is made a multiple of the width of one course of bricks, the multiple ranging from between one and five but preferably three or four. The outer finish layer is embossed as it is applied to form the desired number of brick courses. The groove formed between adjacent panels forms a mortar line between adjacent courses of imitation brick on the adjacent panels and thus tends to minimize the visual impact of the joint. Panels with a plurality of imitation stones thereon could also be provided, the stones preferably being quadratic in shape and the grooves formed between adjacent panels forming grooves between the stones on the panels.

If the building panels employed, having imitation bricks or stones thereon, are wider than normal siding, having a width of around one and half feet or more, means are provided for allowing fastening of the panels to the building frame intermediate the top and bottom edges of the panels and intermediate the side edges. These means allowing panel fastening can comprise sub-panels 95 formed in the panels as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The sub-panels 95 are formed during manufacture of the panel off-site. A sub-panel 95 is formed by making a cut 97 through the panel in the groove 99 encircling a brick 101, or a small stone, in the approximate desired location on the panel. The sub-panel 95 formed by the cut is removed leaving a cutout 103 which provides access to the framing 105 when the panels are fastened thereto. The cutout 103 is formed to provide a downwardly and forwardly angled bottom edge 107 in the cutout when the sub-panel is removed. Fasteners 109 can be employed through the angled edges 107 to fasten the main panel to the framing intermediate its ends. The sub-panels 95 are then replaced in the cutouts 103 and fastened in place with adhesive. The joint formed between the sub-panel and the panel about the cut line 97 is in the groove 99 and thus not too visible.

The building panels preferably have water channel forming means on the top and side back edges of the base of the panel for forming channels to direct any water that may enter between the installed panels and the framing down and away from the panels and framing. Each panel 1 c, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, can have the top rear corner of the top flange 19 c, formed where the top 25 c of the flange meets the inner side 21 c of the flange, cut away, or beveled, as shown at 111, 113, from about the center of the panel to provide water channel forming means. A pair of water collecting and directing channels 114 (one only shown in FIG. 10) are formed when the panel 1 c is mounted against a wall 79 c. One channel 114 extends toward each side edge 21 c, 23 c of the panel from the top center 115 of the panel. The channels 114 direct any water from the top center of the panel to its side edges. The side rear corners of the panel, formed where the side edges 21 c, 23 c meet the inner side 7 c of the panel are also cut away, or beveled, as shown at 117, 119, to provide water directing channel forming means. Channels (not shown) similar to channel 114 are provided by the bevels along their length when the panel is mounted against a wall. The side channels direct the water downwardly onto the top of the adjacent bottom panels.

Simple interconnecting means between the building panels have been shown. Other interconnecting means 31 d, 33 e, for providing easier fastening of the panel to the framing, and for more securely and accurately anchoring the panels together, can be used. The top interconnecting means 31 d on panel 1 d can, for example, comprise an upwardly directed top flange 125, as shown in FIG. 11, with one side formed by the inner surface 7 d of the panel 1 d. The other side 127 of the flange extends downwardly, preferably parallel to the inner surface 7 d. The top flange 125 is about half the width of the panel. A Slot 129 is formed adjacent the other side 127 of the flange, the slot 129 located some distance below the top edge 11 d of the panel. The slot 129 has a wide top mouth and narrows toward its bottom. The slot 129 is shown as being bullet shaped in cross-section but it can also be wedged shaped. The slot is designed to have a wide mouth leading to a narrow closed end. The side of the slot 129 opposite the other side 127 of the flange 125 is joined to the front surface 53 d of the panel by a downwardly and forwardly angled top surface 131. The corner where the angled surface 131 joins the front surface 53 d is cut away to form a groove forming section 135.

The bottom interconnecting means 33 e on top panel 1 e has a bottom recess 145 at its back bottom corner, the recess 145 sized to receive the top flange 125 on the top interconnecting means of an adjacent bottom panel. The bottom of the top panel adjacent the recess 145 is formed with a rib 147 adjacent the cutout to fit snugly in the slot 129 on the adjacent bottom panel. The side of the rib 147 opposite the cutout 145 is connected to the front 53 e of the panel with an outwardly and downwardly angled bottom surface 149. A groove forming section 151 is provided at the corner between the angled surface 149 and the front surface 53 e.

One bottom panel 1 d is installed on the frame 155 of the building, the top of the panel being fastened to the frame 155 by a fastener 157 driven through the top flange 125 as shown in FIG. 12. A shallow recess 159 can be formed on the side 127 of the flange, the recess 159 extending down a short distance from the top 11 d of the flange. The recess is slightly deeper than the thickness of the head 161 of the fasteners 157 used fasten the flange to the building frame. The recess 159 accommodates the head 161 of the fastener 157 so it does not interfere with the interconnection between the panels.

A second top panel 1 e is mounted by its lower end on the top of the first panel 1 d as shown in FIG. 12. The top flange 125 on the bottom panel 1 d enters the recess 145 on the top panel 1 e. The small leading end of the rib 147 on the top panel 1 e also easily enters the wide mouth of the slot 129 on the bottom panel 1 d and is guided down to snugly engage the slot. The bottom angled surface 149 on the top panel 1 e abuts the top angled surface 131 on the bottom panel 1 d and the flange 125 fits snugly within recess 145. The upward projection 165 on the top of the first panel 1 d between the slot 129 and the angled surface 131 helps retain the bottom of the top panel against the framing 155. The rib entering the slot helps to easily guide and correctly position the one panel relative to the other.

The two groove forming sections 135, 153 on the bottom and top panels 1 d, 1 e respectively form a groove 167 between the panels. The joint 169 between the panels is located in the groove. In this embodiment, the joint is located in the upper half of the groove, the joint formed between the angled surfaces 131, 149. The location of the joint in the groove and the downwardly angled surfaces 131, 149 prevent the entry of water into the joint. 

1. An insulated, one-side finished, building panel light enough to be manually handled by no more than two people during installation, the panel having: an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer; the finish layer comprising a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base; the panel having outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the top and bottom sides of the finish layer forming part of the top and bottom edges of the panel; the outer surface of the panel, extending between the top and bottom edges, being formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel; top and bottom interconnecting means on the top and bottom of the panel, the interconnecting means integral with the base; the corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges shaped into groove forming sections.
 2. A building panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the groove forming sections are designed to form a groove when adjacent panels are interconnected with their top and bottom edges abutting to form a joint, the joint located in the groove.
 3. A building panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base is made from slightly compressible material and the finish layer is made from relatively incompressible material.
 4. A building panel as claimed in claim 3 wherein the top and bottom edges of the panel are angled downwardly and forwardly from the inner surface of the panel.
 5. A building panel as claimed in claim 2 wherein the outer surface of the panel is formed to provide an imitation brick facing with grooves between the bricks, the finished groove, formed between adjacent panels, providing a groove between adjacent rows of bricks in adjacent panels.
 6. A building panel as claimed in claim 2 wherein the outer surface of the panel is formed to provide an imitation stone facing with grooves between the stones, the finished groove, formed between adjacent panels, providing a groove between adjacent rows of stones in adjacent panels.
 7. A building panel as claimed in claim 5 wherein the panel is relatively wide, and at least one sub-panel is formed in the panel intermediate its top and bottom edges to provide access through the panel, the sub-panel formed by a cut in a groove surrounding at least one brick, the sub-panel removable to provide a cutout in the panel, and a fastener insertable through the panel in the cutout to fasten the panel to a building frame, the sub-panel replaceable and adhered within the cutout after the fastener is applied,
 8. A building panel as claimed in claim 6 wherein the panel is relatively wide, and at least one sub-panel is formed in the panel intermediate its top and bottom edges to provide access through the panel, the sub-panel formed by a cut in a groove surrounding at least one stone, the sub-panel removable to provide a cutout in the panel, and a fastener insertable through the panel in the cutout to fasten the panel to a building frame, the sub-panel replaceable and adhered within the cutout after the fastener is applied,
 9. A building panel as claimed in claim 1 including water collecting and directing channel forming means on the top back corner of the panel, the channel forming means extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top sides, and water directing channel forming means on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top of the panel to the bottom of the panel.
 10. A building panel as claimed in claim 2 including water collecting and directing channel forming means on the top back corner of the panel, the channel forming means extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top sides, and water directing channel forming means on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top of the panel to the bottom of the panel.
 11. A building panel as claimed in claim 5 including water collecting and directing channel forming means on the top back corner of the panel, the channels extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top sides, and water directing channel forming means on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top of the panel to the bottom of the panel.
 12. A building panel as claimed in claim 6 including water collecting and directing channel forming means on the top back corner of the panel, the channels extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top sides, and water directing channel forming means on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top of the panel to the bottom of the panel.
 13. An insulated, one-side finished, relatively wide building panel light enough to be manually handled by no more than two people during installation, the panel having: an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer; the finish layer comprising a finish-material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base; the panel having outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel, the outer surface of the panel formed to provide imitation building elements with grooves between the elements, and at least one sub-panel formed in the panel intermediate its top and bottom edges to provide access through the panel, the sub-panel formed by a cut in a groove surrounding a building element, the sub-panel removable to provide a cutout in the panel, and a fastener insertable through the panel in the cutout to fasten the panel to a building frame, the sub-panel replaceable and adhered within the cutout after the fastener is applied,
 14. A building panel as claimed in claim 13 wherein the finish layer has top and bottom sides, the top and bottom sides forming part of the top and bottom edges of the panel, the corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges shaped to provide groove forming sections on the front of the panel
 15. An insulated, one-side finished, building panel, the panel having: an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer; the finish layer comprising a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base; the panel having outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel, water collecting and directing channel forming means on the top back corner of the panel, the channel forming means extending in opposite directions from about the center of the panel to the side edges of the panel to help direct water from the top center of the panel to its top side edges, and water directing channel forming means on the side back corners of the panel to help direct water from the top of the panel to the bottom of the panel.
 16. A building panel as claimed in claim 15 wherein the top and side channel forming means are formed by beveling the top, back corner of the base of the panel and beveling the side, back corners of the base of the panel.
 17. a building panel as claimed in claim 15 wherein the finish layer has top and bottom sides, the top and bottom sides forming part of the top and bottom edges of the panel, the corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges shaped to provide groove forming sections on the front of the panel.
 18. An insulated, one-side finished, building panel, the panel having: an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer; the finish layer comprising a finish material, the finish layer securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base; the panel having outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, the outer surface of the panel formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel; top and bottom interconnecting means on the top and bottom of the panel, the top interconnecting means having an upwardly directed top flange with one side of the flange formed by the inner surface of the panel, the other side of the flange extending downwardly; a slot adjacent the other side of the flange below the top of the flange and extending downwardly, narrowing toward its bottom; the top of other side of the slot connected by an angled top surface that extends downwardly and outwardly from the slot to the front surface of the panel; and a groove forming section provided at the corner between the angled top surface and the front surface of the panel.
 19. A panel as claimed in claim 18 wherein the bottom interconnecting means has a recess on the panel at its back bottom corner, the recess sized to receive the flange on the top interconnecting means of an adjacent panel; the bottom of the panel adjacent the recess formed with a rib adjacent the recess sized to fit snugly in the slot on an adjacent panel; the side of the rib opposite the recess connected to the front of the panel with an outwardly and downwardly angled bottom surface and a groove forming section provided at the corner between the angled surface and the front surface of the panel.
 20. A panel as claimed in claim 19 wherein the finish layer has top and bottom sides, the top and bottom sides forming part of the top and bottom angled surfaces respectively.
 21. A building panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top interconnecting means comprises a top flange extending up from the inside portion of the top edge, the top flange about half as wide as the panel, the top flange having one side wall formed by an extension of the inner surface, the other side wall extending downwardly to the top edge, and an angled top wall extending downwardly and inwardly toward the one side wall from the other side wall, and a top recess adjacent the top flange, the top recess defined by the other side wall of the flange and the top edge of the panel.
 22. A building panel as claimed in claim 21 wherein the bottom interconnecting means comprise: a bottom recess formed in the bottom inner corner of the panel, the bottom recess about half as wide as the panel and sized to receive the top flange, the bottom recess defined by a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom edge of the panel, and an angled bottom wall extending downwardly an inwardly from the side wall to the inner surface; and a bottom flange adjacent the bottom recess, the bottom flange defined by the side wall, the bottom edge and the outer surface and sized to fill the top recess.
 23. A building panel as claimed in claim 22 wherein the top and bottom edges are angled upwardly and inwardly from the front surface.
 24. A building panel assembly comprising first and second panels, each panel having: an inner, relatively thick, insulation base and an outer, relatively thin, finish layer; the finish layer comprising a finish material securely adhered to one surface of the insulation base; the panel having outer and inner surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, with the top and bottom sides of the finish layer forming part of the top and bottom edges of the panel; the outer surface of the panel, extending between the top and bottom edges, being formed by the outer surface of the finish layer to provide an outer finished surface on the panel; top and bottom interconnecting means on the top and bottom of the panel, the interconnecting means integral with the base; the corners between the outer surface of the panel and the top and bottom edges shaped into groove forming sections; the bottom interconnecting means of the second panel connected to the top interconnecting means of the first panel to have bottom edge of the second panel abut the top edge of the first panel and to have the groove forming sections form a groove between the panels with the joint between the panels located in the groove. 